Video Game “Drama” Puts You in an Internment Camp

Jun 21, 2011

“’Drama in the Delta’ is a non-profit, educational 3D role-playing video game that puts the player into the experiences of two Arkansas concentration camps where the U.S. government interned 15,000 Japanese-Americans during World War II.” If there is an internet rule that says you can make a video game out of any topic or scenario, this certainly qualifies. Collaborators from the University of San Diego’s Department of Theatre and Dance and the San Diego Supercomputer Center are developing a video game called “Drama in the Delta”, which is intended to be an immersive first-player role-playing experience recreating what it was like to be an internee at the Rohwer and Jerome Relocation Centers in Arkansas in 1944. When the game is completed in 2013, you’ll be able to play as a number of characters, including one of four teenaged Nisei girls. In our estimation, this is a pretty daring, ambitious and touchy construct for a video game. But you can actually judge for yourself, as the 292MB prototype is available right now for Windows-only download. In fact, we’d be interested to know what internees themselves think about this project and actual game play. (Chronicle of Higher Education – Arkansas Nisei RPG) And here is the official website: Drama in the Delta.